1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine control apparatus for a motorcycle. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an engine control apparatus for a motorcycle that is capable of stopping an engine when a vehicle is overturned, and restarting the engine quickly when the vehicle is restored from the overturned state.
2. Description of Related Art
JP-A-2000-71703 discloses a motorcycle having an acceleration sensor which is used as an overturn sensor, wherein fuel injection and ignition are controlled to stop when the overturn sensor detects overturning of the motorcycle.
The aforementioned motorcycle still experiences some problems that must be overcome. For example, there are cases where the overturning of the vehicle did not produce any damage to the vehicle body, or damage was negligible and hence the motorcycle could travel without any problems thereafter. In such cases, riders may want to restore the vehicle body to the upright position, and restart the engine quickly. For example, in the case of a racing motorcycle, if the engine cannot be restarted immediately after restoration from the overturned state in a short time for continuing the race, the racer will lose time. Therefore, the racer will be at a disadvantage in the race. However, in the case of a related art motorcycle, erroneous detection is prevented by filtering or timer-controlling outputs detected by the acceleration sensor. Accordingly, it takes time for the sensor to determine that the motorcycle has been restored to the upright position.